Delayed Consequences
by darkling59
Summary: Miles has managed to escape the mob outside his house but revealed his new abilities in doing so. This time, there is no convenient news broadcast or tsunami to save him. Running away is the only option. Full summary inside. On Hiatus
1. Changes

**Disclaimer**: Characters, world, anything in or having to do with the TV series SURFACE, doesn't belong to me. However, the idea for this particular fan fiction does. Don't steal and we'll get along just fine.

**Summary:** What if the creatures dug slower for some reason? Or the mantle was a few hundred feet thicker? When would they have generated the displaced water that created the tsunami? And how would it have affected those involved? Miles has managed to escape the mob outside his house but revealed his new abilities in doing so. This time, there is no convenient news broadcast to save him. Nor is there any way to escape the consequences of his accidental actions against the bully at school. Running away is the only way to survive. But where can he run? Who can he trust? And most importantly, how will his body change next?

….yeah, that about sums it up.

Enjoy!

* * *

Delayed Consequences

Chapter 1: Change

----------------------------------------------------

"Oh you can't possibly be serious."

Miles' voice squeaked slightly as he whispered in horror at the sight of his own hands.

The connection had been cool, the electricity worrying but still super hero-ish, the instinctual anger terrifying and personal, but _this_?

He slowly, almost fearfully, clenched the digits on his right hand; they could no longer be correctly termed fingers, and watched as if mesmerized as they obeyed his mental command.

The soft, flesh covered appendage with diminutive claws (called 'nails' by humans) he was used to had been…well, not replaced but altered almost beyond recognition. Dark mottling trailed down his outer forearms, blossoming at the wrists to cover the top of his hand A few fingers; point, ring, and index; seemed to have elongated by a couple millimeters while his thumb, though slightly longer, had been drawn further up his arm by an altered skeletal structure and the pinkie finger had shrunk about the same amount the others had elongated. All five were tipped with wickedly sharp, curved claws that had to be at least triple the length of his normal nails. The underside of his hand and fingers hadn't changed; a small blessing.

Worrying though these changes were, they could possibly be covered by gloves of some kind. The claws would poke out but could be mistaken as part of the covering. If those were the only alterations, he would not have a problem appearing human.

No, the worst change was what lay between his fingers.

Webbing.

It was boneless and thin but sensitive and stronger than it appeared.

_It probably has cartilage in it somewhere._ Miles noted absentmindedly. _Like my nose, ears, or…_he closed his eyes in resigned fatigue…_ the webbing that's probably growing between my toes._

"Miles?"

His head snapped up, slit pupils contracting to compensate for the sunlight.

"C-Caitlin?" he whispered, too low for her to hear. He was grateful she'd come, but also terrified. _What if she sees me like this? I know she wants to help but she's never seen me change physically. If I show her, she'll think I'm a freak for sure!_

"Miles? Are you in here?"

He pushed further back in the shadows of the dilapidated old boat house, watching the square of light (it had once been a door) with rapt attention.

"Come on Miles, I know you're here. I've already checked all the other places you like to go. Well, the ones Phil told me about."

_Phil. _A smile flickered into existence, small but steady. _Trust him to surrender confidential information like that when faced with a pretty girl._

A slight blush tinged his cheeks, making him duck his head and rub his face with the flat of his hand.

Unfortunately, he'd forgotten about the sharp claws protruding from his fingertips.

Uttering a muffled yelp, he jumped about a foot in the air; five bloody furrows trailing across an unprotected cheek.

_That was stupid. _He gazed at the bloodied claws ruefully then investigated the slashes with the webbing and pads of his fingers, angling the tips away so as not to make the same mistake twice. _But at least I missed my eyes. I doubt Nim's healing ability would regenerate those._

"Miles? Was that you? A-are you okay?" A silhouette darkened the doorway.

_Guess I shouldn't have yelled like that._ He remained hidden as she advanced a few steps, very small steps, and called again.

"Miles, if that's you…"

He didn't reply.

"This isn't funny! Miles, answer!"

She was scared and worried, he realized guiltily, that's why she was feigning anger and repeating his name every few sentences. But why was she scared?

_Is she scared of me? N-no, she can't be. _The very thought prompted an uncomfortable squirming sensation in the pit of his stomach. What if it was true? The rest of the town, including his parents, was terrified of him now. What if Caitlin was too? She'd seen more of his abilities then everyone else combined.

_I need to know. Even if she freaks, I need to know._

She was still standing in the same spot, seemingly working up her nerve to either advance further into the gloom or call again.

"Caitlin?" This time it was loud enough for her to hear. Barely.

"Miles! Oh, thank God. Where are you? Are you okay? I can't see anything. Why did you yell?"

He tried to chuckle slightly but the sound never left his lips. "I-I'm…alright. I guess."

"'You guess'? Miles, what's wrong?"

_She's worried. I don't want her to be worried but…_

"I-I…" he paused to gulp as his throat constricted in fear. "There's…something happened."

Concerned by his stammering, Caitlin advanced, trying to follow the sound of his voice. "Calm down. I'm not going anywhere, I promise. Now, what's wrong?"

"W-well." Resigned and anticipating their confrontation, he began to climb to his feet. "I've…changed."

"Changed?" the first prickle of unease caused Caitlin's steps to falter. "What do you mean?"

He'd seen the falter and felt his heart sink in response. If she was unnerved by the thought, what would she do when she actually saw him?

"W-well, I've been ch-changing for a while. You know?"

"Like, a Nim change?" The prickle had intensified into spiders crawling up and down her spine.

"Um...yeah. A Nim change. But it's…different."

She could hear the fear in his voice and, despite her own anxiety, felt her heart go out to him. _Poor Miles. He shouldn't have to deal with this. Especially since he was having such a tough time at home **before** he found Nim._

"Different? How?"

"I…w-well, it's…um…"

"Why don't you **show** me?"

She felt his aversion to that idea. Literally. The air crackled with electricity like it did around Nim when he was scared or angry. _Thank God there aren't any bare wires or water in here. If there were, I'd be fried for sure, purposely or not._

"I don't-"

"Miles, I won't abandon you. I promise."

"You-"

His comment faded off but she felt it like a knife in the gut. He really thought she would leave him? After all they'd been through? Her hurt became worry. _He must be really terrified if he jumped to that conclusion._

"Yes, I promise. I've never run from you before, have I?"

He didn't answer but she didn't expect him to.

Neither of them moved for several moments.

_Time to try a different tactic._

"At least let me know you're okay. I heard you yell in pain when I got here."

"Oh, that. I'm fine."

No stuttering. Good.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I just…well, I scratched myself."

She smiled at his sheepish tone but narrowed her eyes quizzically.

"On what?"

"U-uh, well…"

_So that has something to do with this new change._

Her mind unconsciously pulled up an image of Nim feeding, tearing a live salmon to pieces with sharp teeth and even sharper claws.

A headshake dispelled the image but she had a sinking feeling she knew what this new 'change' was. And why Miles was scared of showing her.

"Oh, by the way, I spoke with Phil." Time to change the topic.

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He'd have come but…" she hesitated. _Maybe this wasn't a good topic to introduce._

"But…?"

She sighed. Better to get it out in the open. "His parents wouldn't let him out of the house."

"They didn't want him near me."

It was a statement, not a question.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright."

"What, really?"

"Yeah," he sounded, if anything, relieved. "If it's his parents keeping him in, he isn't trying to avoid me like everyone else. Well, everyone who isn't trying to kill or capture me. **They** are sticking to me like ticks (1)."

"Miles…"

"They came after me with guns! But could blame them? I mean, just look at me! Even **_I_** don't know what I'm turning into!"

_It was definitely a physical change this time. Wait a minute…_ "Guns? Someone came after you with a gun?"

"Several someones." He sounded tired, sad.

"Who?"

"I dunno. Some guys from town. Doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter? Miles, someone tried to kill you! We need to report this to the police!"

"They protect people, not monsters!"

"You aren't a monster!"

"Not a monster? You've seen what I can do, what I've done! And as if that's not enough, just LOOK at me!"

A faint scuffling sound heralded Miles' entrance into the dim light of the center of the room, fully revealing his newest changes for the first time.

Caitlin's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"Oh my God…"

* * *

TBC?

(See BBTW at the bottom)

* * *

Well, this is definitely not my best work.

And it's far too short.

-.-

But oh well, I wrote this while trying to get over writer's block so… Okay, it wasn't exactly writer's block; it was more…how to explain?

I normally write for anime but my recent favorite shows have all been with real people. The genres are so far apart that after reading about so many non animated characters, I lost my inspiration to write about animated ones. I'm hoping to reverse engineer the process by starting to write again then go back to animation, flipping my interest again.

Oog

I don't know when or if Laura and Rich will come in. I always wondered what would happen if they met Miles and/or Nim before the tsunami (especially considering how Rich reacted to the assumption that Lee was a clone) but I'm not sure if I'll follow them a bit before they come in or just have them enter the story unexpectedly. This is, of course, IF I get enough reviews to continue. If I don't, they won't show up period. (See BBTW)

But at least I got something out the experience of writing for real people. It's only my second try. (My first was for POTC and I posted it over a year ago)

**BTW:** Sorry for all the ellipses, colons, commas, and hyphens. I'm kind of addicted to excess punctuation. . And I don't have a beta so there might be some spelling, grammar, and/or tense mistakes.

**BBTW: If you want me to continue, review. I doubt I'll get any further if I don't get at least 5 reviews.**

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(1) I HATE ticks. Little bloodsucking parasites that carry limes disease. The other day I was outside for an hour and touched one patch of grass about 3 by 5 inches. There was no overhanging foliage, I touched no bushes, but when I got home I had FOUR of the hell born little arachnids on me. –_shudder-_ Least they hadn't burrowed all the way to my blood yet, I they were still trying to get through my skin. 


	2. Intersections

**Disclaimer**: Characters, world, anything in or having to do with the TV series SURFACE, doesn't belong to me. However, the idea for this particular fan fiction does. Don't steal and we'll get along just fine.

**Summary:** What if the creatures dug slower for some reason? Or the mantle (the earth's crust) was a few hundred feet thicker? When would they have generated the displaced water that created the tsunami? And how would it have affected those involved? Miles has managed to escape the mob outside his house but revealed his new abilities in doing so. This time, there is no convenient news broadcast to save him. Nor is there any way to escape the consequences of his accidental actions against the bully at school. Running away is the only way to survive. But where can he run? Who can he trust? And most importantly, how will his body change next?

* * *

_Italics_ mean thoughts

* * *

Delayed Consequences 

Chapter 2: Intersections

----------------------------------------------------

Maybe it was a trick of the light and shadow, but the being before Caitlin looked more like Nim than Miles.

Darkness hid his face; all that could be seen were two bright dots she assumed were the pupils of his eyes. The clothes draped around his thin frame were ragged and barely recognizable as the slacks and undershirt worn by the boys at his high school (1). The rest of the uniform; jacket, polo shirt, shoes, and socks; was gone, most likely ditched to facilitate swimming. Dim lighting made his silhouette look strange but his hands, thrown out towards her to center her attention, made him look downright alien.

At the sight, she knew she'd been correct in her assumptions (2).

"See?" the voice, despite appearances, was definitely Miles'. "I'm a monster."

"Oh Miles…" she stepped forward. "No you're not."

The bright points of his eyes dropped to the floor, unconvinced.

Shocking though his appearance was, his sorrow called out far stronger to her instincts. Before she knew what she'd done, Caitlin closed the distance between them and enveloped him in a tight hug. He jumped slightly at the contact but leaned into it like a lifeline.

"Miles, you are not a monster." Her stern tone, muffled by his shirt, was accentuated by a tightening of her arms. "You're just a little different and if you ask me," she lifted her head to meet his eyes. _(Since when are his eyes slitted?) _"High school is far scarier then growing claws."

The muscles in his shoulders relaxed perceptively as he suppressed a smile.

"Thanks." She grinned at his embarrassment. "I just…" he let go and stepped back, regarding his modifications with a strange, thoughtful look on his face "I don't know what to do."

"That's not really surprising. In fact, I'd be a little disturbed if you did know what to do in a situation like this."

"Heh. I guess." He lapsed into silence, probably lost in thought, and she took the opportunity to observe him critically from close up.

Physically, he was about the same as always, minus the hands and eyes, except…

"Miles! What happened!"

"W-what?" she was distracted momentarily when his pupils contracted to look at her. "What did I do?"

A quick blink brought her back to the present. "Your cheek is bleeding!"

"Oh." His tone was knowing and embarrassed. "THAT."

"Yeah, THAT. What happened?" a single finger traced the nasty looking cuts. "Did someone from town do this? It looks serious."

"No, I sorta…well," he trailed off until she prompted him. "You sorta well what?"

"Er…eheh..." he mimed lifting his hand and drawing it over the marks.

_He did it himself. _She suppressed a smile but her voice was amused when she spoke.

"I see. Well, it doesn't matter how you got them, they need to be tended to."

"I'll be fine."

She leveled a glare at him. "Not if infection sets in you won't."

"Nim's-"

"You have no idea how well that works for you." She interrupted. "And it's better to be safe than sorry." Miles didn't respond.

Taking his silence as agreement, she stepped briskly to the door. "I brought some medical supplies with me, just in case, so I'll just go get them and…" stopping at the doorway to glance at the outside, inside, and a flabbergasted Miles, she altered her decision. "Actually, there isn't enough light in here. You'll need to come outside."

"Out? No. Definitely not."

"Come on!"

"What if someone sees me?"

"We're in the middle of nowhere. Who's going to see you?"

"Caitlin please." The fear in his voice brought her to a dead stop. "I don't want anyone to see me."

She paused, softening slightly. "Miles, I need to look at those gashes and I can't do it in here." Her voice was gentle but firm. "Besides, you can't avoid the sunlight for the rest of your life." She extended a hand toward him. "Come on."

With a fatalistic sigh, he knew he wasn't going to win against her common sense, Miles took her hand and allowed her to lead him out of the boat house.

"So." With a gesture, she indicated he should sit on the edge of the dock as she rummaged through her backpack. "Where's Nim?"

Casting a dubious glance at the rotting wood, Miles took a seat on a boulder nearby before answering. "Not sure. I think he's still by my parents' house. I didn't call for him when I ran and I haven't really looked for him since.

"Why not?" upon finding the first aid kit she drew it out and threw the backpack on the seat of the orange Vespa, her mode of transportation.

"What do you mean? He's always been able to find me before so I'm not really worried and if we're together, the hunters will find us easier."

"Well, he's probably more knowledgeable about your condition than anyone else. In his own way. Tilt your head."

He complied absentmindedly so she could see the injury better.

"I guess so. I could at least figure out how he manages not to destroy everything he touches with his claws. Ow!"

He pulled away from her cotton ball of peroxide, earning an annoyed scowl.

"Hold still!"

"That hurt!"

She gave him a look. "Can't hurt any worse then when your friend threw rubbing alcohol on that bite I've heard so much about."

A sheepish shrug was her answer. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."

"There. That part is done. Now for the gauze."

"Where did you learn all this stuff? And how do you know what to do?"

"At the aquarium, everyone knows the basics. It's part of orientation. Ya know, in case of emergencies." She raised an eyebrow. "Come to think of it, why don't you know this?"

"I was on probation." Miles fingered the gauze covering as she finished. "I don't know why, but they said that was the reason I didn't go through a full orientation. Your dad probably didn't plan to allow me near anything dangerous."

"That's odd."

"Yeah."

_Wait, she works at the aquarium and today is Thursday. Why isn't she at work? (3)_

"Speaking of work, why aren't you at the aquarium?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "Trying to get rid of me?"

"Wha-? No! Of course not!" she brushed off his frantic apologies with a laugh.

"Relax! I was just kidding. I have a half hour break between school and work. I talked to Phil before classes this morning and have been checking various places during my periods of free time."

"So you only have a half hour?"

She was his only human contact and he was despondent to see her go.

"Actually, I should probably get going." Her reluctance was obvious. "Will you be okay?" As was her concern.

"I'll be fine."

She gazed at him for a long minute before nodding abruptly and standing to go.

"Caitlin, wait!"

"Hm?"

Miles bit his lip indecisively.

"I want my parents to know I'm okay. I mean- I don't want to see them, they'd just scream, but…could you…tell them for me?"

This time it was Caitlin's turn to be uncertain. Talking to his parents would say she knew where Miles was and that she'd gone looking for him against the orders or her father and the police. In other words, she'd be in major trouble.

"Is it okay if I tell your sister and let her tell them? I don't think she'll get me in as much trouble as they would. She's not as high profile at the moment."

"Yeah, that's fine." He clambered to his feet. "Thanks. For everything."

She grinned. He was blushing again. "No problem." Leaning forward, Caitlin kissed Miles gently on the lips, backing away with an impish smile before he could respond.

"See you later!"

As Miles' surprised brain was processing what had happened, she left.

"Yeah. Later."

He didn't even realize he was grinning.

* * *

Caitlin sped down the road, just barely within the speed limit. 

She'd found him and he was alright. Despite everything and against all odds, he was alive, in one piece, and free.

_And he's still Miles. Everyone was saying he turned into a monster yesterday night but he didn't. He just reacted with instinctual fear._

What Caitlin had not told Miles was that as the day wore on and the number of possible hiding places had diminished, she'd begun to lose hope. Many of the places had been swarming with men carrying both rifles and tranquilizer guns. Only two out of the thirteen places Phil gave her hadn't been touched and one was where she'd found him.

_What are they planning to do with him if they do catch him? They wouldn't treat him like they did Nim, would they? Food deprivation, cages, needle biopsies…_ she shuddered, nauseous and horrified at the very thought. _No, Dad would never do that. Would he? I mean, I never expected him to do those things to Nim either._

The honk of a car horn drew her out of the alarming thoughts. A slate grey compact car, maybe a Toyota (4), going the opposite direction was slowing down and lowering a window to speak to her. Curious, she stopped.

"Hi, I'm sorry to bother you but do you know if there's a company called Iderdex somewhere nearby?"

"Um, sure." Caitlin gazed at the fidgeting woman with undisguised curiosity. Wilmingon rarely got strangers and as far as she knew Iderdex was all but abandoned. "If you keep going straight past the next two right turnoffs and take the third, Iderdex is about a quarter of a mile down."

"Thanks."

"Sure."

The woman either didn't notice or didn't care that Caitlin was staring because with a vague, distracted smile, she hit the gas and sped off at 20 mph over the speed limit.

_Well that was weird._

Caitlin mused about the encounter until she made it to the aquarium. At the sight of it, she stopped cold.

There were three big black vans blocking the parking lot, the kind usually associated with the government or bad guys in sci-fi TV shows.

Printed in big, bold letters on the side of each was one word: IDERDEX.

"Caitlin!"

"Dad! What's going on? Why are you out here?"

Her father strode over from where he appeared to have been conversing with the driver of one of the vans.

"Sweetheart, I want you to go home. The aquarium is closed today."

"But-."

"No buts, I'll see you later but I might be home after midnight. These men are going to help up with our … problem."

A jolt of panic made her stiffen and stare at him in horror. He didn't notice. He didn't even look at her.

"So be a good girl, alright? See you later."

"B-bye dad."

It took less then a minute to turn the Vespa around. Going home wasn't an option. Warning Miles was high priority, although where he'd be able to stay unnoticed was anyone's guess, but first she would speak to his sister. That's what he'd wanted and she knew how worried his family must be.

But how would she get Savannah away from her parents?

* * *

It wasn't a problem. 

Savannah had isolated herself, standing on the edge of the family dock. Every few minutes, she rang a bell over the water, near the surface. When she'd started it had most likely been desperate and hopeful but now it just sounded bleak and sad.

_She's trying to call to Miles. Or maybe to Nim and through association Miles. I'm fairly certain that's the same bell Phil said they used to train Nim._

Caitlin waited until she was at the edge of the dock to speak. If worst came to worst, she could just jump on the Vespa and take off.

"Savannah?"

The older girl's head jerked and she turned slightly, revealing dried tear tracks and a surprising lack of make up.

_She's in mourning. I wonder if she even knows they haven't caught him yet?_

"Who are you?"

"I'm…well, I know Miles."

THAT got Savannah's full attention. Dawning lit in her eyes after several moments of scrutiny. "You're that sophomore he had a crush on. The one that works at the aquarium. But why are you here? In case you haven't heard, Miles is gone." She turned back to the ocean.

"That's sort of why I'm here."

"Did they catch him?"

"No. He's alright."

Savannah laughed dryly, obviously disbelieving. "Thanks for the opinion, but-."

"You don't understand. **He's okay**."

Something about Caitlin's tone conveyed the true meaning of her words.

Savannah stiffened then turned, painful hope blossoming in her eyes.

"You mean you know where he is?"

The younger girl didn't answer but she didn't need to.

"Where is he? That little…if he kept us worrying for no reason…"

Message delivered, Caitlin replaced her helmet and swung a leg over her vehicle.

"Wait! What are you doing?"

"Could you tell your parents?"

Savannah halted in front of the bike and arched one perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Why can't you?"

"I'm in enough trouble as it is if I'm caught. I know your parents would try to call my dad or something and that can't happen. If anyone finds out where he is, even you or your parents, he'll be captured or killed."

"We wouldn't hurt him!"

"Not on purpose but if I told you, you'd want to see him and I can guarantee you're going to be followed if you leave the house."

She didn't have a response for that one.

"Will you tell your parents?"

With an annoyed huff, Savannah nodded. "Thank you for telling me."

Caitlin smiles and shook her head. "Thank Miles. He's the one who asked me to come."

She left Savannah standing in deep thought next to the dock, probably deciding how to break the news to her parents.

For Caitlin it was time to return to the boathouse.

Something was going on and she had an ominous feeling that whatever it was involved Miles and could in no way be considered pleasant.

* * *

TBC? 

Review!

* * *

Well, I got more than five reviews and this was just rattling around in my head trying to escape so I decided to let it out. Normally updates don't come this fast. (often they depend on how many reviews I get though). 

Oh, and I'm not sure if Caitlin is a sophomore or a freshman but I know Miles is a freshman and I'm fairly certain someone in the series, when they first met each other, said she was older by a little bit.

I'm not overly happy with this chapter but I'm still getting over my writers block so I consider it passable. Bleh.

Let me know what you think.

And I just could not resist putting in that crack about black cars XD. And has anyone figured out who the woman is? (no offense, but you'd have to be pretty blind not to)

Also, this isn't really going to be a romance. There might be a few hints, like the kiss, that Miles and Caitlin are interested in each other taking it a bit further but I'm not going to focus on it more then necessary.

For a recap on what just happened in the previous episode (not chapter, before that, the tv episode where Miles attacked Greg): Miles woke up on the beach after leading the creatures away and exhibited some 'creature' aspects. After talking to Caitlin, he went home to see his parents who have finally noticed something is up with him (their observation skills are sorely lacking) and then went to school where he got in a fight with Savannah's former boyfriend. During the fight, he uses personally generated electricity (like Nim) to knock Greg out and hurts him badly which results in the police showing up at his house which further results in him getting pulled out of his house by an angry mob led by Greg's dad. Now, in the series, that is when the radio goes off with the tsunami warning and everyone forgets about Miles in favor of saving their own hides. In my fan fiction, the tsunami is delayed (for as of yet unknown reasons) and the story goes on from there.

Now, while this is all happening with Miles and co. Rich and Laura are interrogating Lee about his boss and the film reel they found. They decide he must be a clone and leave him tied up in a hotel room after accidentally revealing their location and learning of a facility called 'Iderdex' in Wilmington that is somehow tied in with everything. After leaving the hotel, the two part ways. Rich goes to Wilmington and breaks into Iderdex but doesn't count on security and is captured after managing to make a quick call to Laura about his discoveries. Laura goes to see her son but her ex husband calls Lee and his pals in the black cars to come and get her. Lee asks her some questions (mostly about the man on the film; he didn't know about the guy either), listens to her conversation with Rich, and then lets her go without hurting her (he shoots the wall to fake her death). She takes off to go find Rich.

Don't ask me how they manage to cross the nation is less than an hour or two because the time frame just doesn't make sense. Neither does the fact that they still have the money considering it was given to them by the blond lady (the disillusioned scientist) who was caught by Lee and who is either dead or miserably unavailable.

Ummm…yeah. Any mistakes, please let me know.

And forgive my moodiness. It's almost midnight and I didn't get much sleep last night so I'm grumpy. XD

Oh, and someone asked me if I knew the show was canceled. Yeah, I know. That's actually one of the reasons I'm writing this. It was an interesting idea (even if I don't like the writers; the actors and special effects (like Nim) carried the show) and it deserves to be preserved. Plus, who knows? Maybe scifi will pick it up or someone will start a survey that generates enough interest for them to put it back up.

* * *

(1) I went back through the final episodes the find exactly what he was wearing. Hopefully, I'll manage to write in a change of clothes for him soon. I can't imagine him getting far like that. 

(2) From the previous chapter about his new mutation (or whatever you want to call it)

(3) I have no idea what day of the week it was when he attacked Greg and I couldn't find it on the recording. All I know is that it was a school day because the whole incident happened at school. If anyone knows the actual day, please let me know and I'll fix it.

(4) Creative liberties. They never actually showed the brand of the car (I checked that one too) so I just chose one. I don't own it btw, Toyota owns Toyota.

* * *

**Everyone who submits a signed review gets a notification of the next update (I can't respond to the unsigned ones unless you give me an email address)**

**Thank you for reviewing:**

_Jt_

_Clari_

_Waterdragon719_

_Shell_

_Spooky4ever_

_Creitros_

_Nimster57_


	3. Divergences

**Disclaimer**: Characters, world, anything in or having to do with the TV series SURFACE, doesn't belong to me. However, the idea for this particular fan fiction does. Don't steal and we'll get along just fine.

**Summary:** What if the creatures dug slower for some reason? Or the mantle was a few hundred feet thicker? When would they have generated the displaced water that created the tsunami? And how would it have affected those involved? Miles has managed to escape the mob outside his house but revealed his new abilities in doing so. This time, there is no convenient news broadcast to save him. Nor is there any way to escape the consequences of his accidental actions against the bully at school. Running away is the only way to survive. But where can he run? Who can he trust? And most importantly, how will his body change next?

Gone a loooooooong time this time.

Sorry but I had quite a few things to do, a busy (and long) vacation of sorts (I didn't stay at my house so it counts as a vacation), nagging family, jibes at my life, a feeling of failure that refused to go away, and a massive writer's block to top it all off. Not to mention I'm setting up a GS fanfiction submission site and a personal site.

Come visit me! The GS site is _www. freewebs. com/hziz_ and my personal site (with lots of tidbits from bunches of series that never made it to ffnet) is _www. freewebs. com/darkling59_ . (remove the spaces and cut/paste the links)

I'm probably going to be updating more regularly and with better edited chapters on my sites; ffnet has been screwing up what I send them.

Now that I'm finally getting my act together, I'm hoarding my updates. At some point there will be one massive update of all eight of my active stories (two YGO, one Slayers, one Surface, four GS) and possibly a revamp of my POTC one-shot in honor of the second movie (which was awesome).

Er…yeah.

Oh, and I'm changing my offsite screenname. While I will remain darkling59 on ffnet, my writing name on gaia will be hziz and on my website will probably alternate between the two.

Same goes for if you want to chat or just say hi, pm me at _hziz. _My other account (darkling59) is still active but it isn't where my fan fiction is being posted.

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_Italics_ mean thoughts or dreams

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Delayed Consequences

Chapter 3: Divergences

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_Comfort…understanding…a sense of belonging…_

_He is floating in darkness, the kind found at the depths of the ocean where no human has ever set foot._

_Brethren of all ages gather around, sharing their emotions with him even as he projects his own to them. They range in size from about a foot to ten feet long, creatures unknown and ignored by mankind._

_A ripple of dissent from his 'siblings' takes him by surprise. 'But the humans don't know. I'm the only one here.'_

_'You are kin.' The message is not spoken or put into words but the meaning is clear in the collective mentality. 'They were not.'_

_'They?'_

_Images appear in his mind, slow at first but gaining speed quickly._

_…an old man with glasses stood at the edge of a pool of water, watched by a hatchling. He was accompanied by a kin-other like Miles but this one was not welcome…_

_…a strange looking submarine being investigated at the depths; one of the Mothers' curiosity drew her to bite and jostle it until she lost interest…_

_…two divers near the surface, ignored until one of them shot a Mother with a harpoon at which point she fled, dragging him off with her…_

_…long tracks, distinguishable by their straightness as man made, carved into the ocean floor…_

_…the pool house where Nim spent the first part of his life…_

_…a giant military submarine, a threat to the Mother attacking it…_

_…another sub, this one small and ungainly, too near the nesting grounds for comfort…_

_…the underside of a rubber raft, too close to a clutch of eggs to be attacked…_

_…numerous strange vehicles traveling both above and below the waves…_

_…the electrician from town before he was attacked, while he still had his eyes…_

_…a nervous looking blonde woman, one who felt familiar to all the creatures though none had seen her before…_

_…Nim being saved after he shot himself with a nail…_

_…the freezer of a fishing boat, a cage…_

_…the tank at the aquarium…_

_…a brunette woman in scuba gear; terrified but determined…_

_… the same woman talking with a not-quite-kin man…_

_…both of them standing on the deck of a trawler…_

_…a strange metal dome deep in the darkest depths…_

_…the hatchlings being led back to the waves after their attack on the humans…_

_…an Asian man wearing all black standing on the other side of a glass panel…_

_…Mothers digging underwater holes at the behest of humans…_

Miles awoke with a start, shooting straight up and nearly hitting his head on a low beam in the process. The sound of his heart beating a tattoo on the inside of his ribs was barely enough to convince him to calm down, in body if not in mind.

_What was that? Was it real? Am I really connected to all of the creatures like Nim? I mean, sure I led them back out to sea, but I thought Nim did most of the work. Am I psychic now or something? No, I only know what Nim and other kin are thinking but that's…maybe Phil was right about me and Nim. And did I just call the creatures kin?_

A faint splash from outside forced Miles to attention instantly. Was that what had woken him up? It didn't matter what the dream meant; the message was secondary to survival.

_Did one of the hunters find me?_

Hiding places were abundant in the dilapidated boathouse but the hybrid opted to stand his ground and protect his territory. The changes were becoming more integrated into his instincts; as a human, defending territory would not have crossed his mind. Nor would dropping into a defensive position and displaying his teeth and claws as viciously as possible.

"Who's there!"

Not to mention the folly of talking would have been obvious.

"I'm warning you, I'm-"

A funny half whine/half croak cut him off mid-threat as a reptilian animal the size of a large cat poked its head through the doorway.

"Nim! Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Myap!"

"I'm happy to see you too buddy." Assured his friend was alright, Miles dropped into a cross-legged position sitting on the floor. Sensing his distress, Nim crawled into his lap and butted his head against one semi-human hand which came up to scratch around his gills and ears in an unconscious response. He leant into the sharp claws with a purr; thick skin kept him from harm; even as Miles continued.

"But what's going on? So much is happening so fast…and then there's this dream…"

"Kh-khrrh?"

"Yeah." Even though the response was not given in words, Miles instinctively knew exactly what Nim meant. "It was really weird. Not bad, just weird and I still don't know if it was real. Can you guys read each others' minds?"

"Rhr?"

Nim didn't understand and though he was a little disappointed, Miles really hadn't expected him to. If he and his kin were telepathic in any way, he'd had the ability his entire life. As such, he wouldn't understand life without it or why Miles found it so alarming.

_Oh well…_still scratching, the hybrid allowed his thoughts to drift in an attempt to fully recall and understand the dream.

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Bright stars twinkled in the late night sky over the sleeping town of Wilmington. There was no traffic, no people, and no industrial racket to disturb the peace. In fact, the only constant sound was the steady hush and flow of the waves as they performed their age old ritual. The beautiful scene was completely lost on the single human interrupting the tranquility.

Caitlin sped down the highway on her Vespa, praying she wasn't too late.

She'd attempted to come earlier but been cut off by one of the Iderdex vans. Once the men inside realized who 'the distraught young lady' was and who she was connected to, they'd gotten out of her way real quick.

Then spent three hours not-so-subtly following her around the town until she finally went home and called her father to complain. They'd left after that but the pointed glares sent in her direction let her know they'd be back.

Leaving before they could return had seemed like a good idea but her dad had returned from work so she hid her Vespa in a back lot two blocks away to wait for him to either go to sleep or be inattentive enough to let her sneak out unnoticed.

Her current attempt to visit Miles had been put of until 1AM when she'd finally decided it was safe enough to sneak out.

Upon reaching her goal, she dropped the orange vehicle and ran to the door space, heedless of her crunching footsteps and harsh panting.

"MIL-!"

"EeeeeeeyYap!" a sharp spark of pain ripped through her nerves, knocking her unconscious before she could see Miles' horrified face.

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"CAITLIN! OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod…"

The source of her pain darted over form where he'd been waiting for the invader to make an appearance. He reached her before she hit the floor but he was too late to keep her from pain."

"C-Caitlin? Oh god no, please…"

"Myap?"

"Not now Nim."

Miles gently touched Caitlin's cheek, ignoring the tears wetting his own. Why hadn't she said something before rushing in like that? Why hadn't he waited to see who it was?

_Even if she is alright, now I've given her a reason to hate and fear me. Unless…_

"Nim, heal her!"

"Hrhrr?"

"Heal her!"

Mistrusting his tone, Nim hissed and shuffled backwards several steps."

"Come ON Nim!"

"Nrhrhrrn." The muffled whine/croak was a clear 'No' to Miles.

"What do you mean! We need to-"

"Eeeeyip!"

"Ow!"

Miles hissed back in surprise as the slight shock ran through his nerves.

_Nim just…but he never…_

"Nim? I-I…what?"

In response to the desolate inquiry, the sea creature gestured with his head and whined slightly. He had become connected to the human due to their exchange of blood and understood, on a deeper level than Miles, how much pain he'd put his friend through.

He didn't regret it -doing it had save Miles' life- but he wasn't going to inflict such suffering on another friend if there was any chance at all the person might heal without it. Granted, if he helped Caitlin she probably wouldn't change as much as Miles had (the saliva already infecting his body from the attack had played a major part in his physical metamorphosis) but she would definitely change.

Nim just hoped Miles would understand that.

Catching the emotion behind Nim's turbulent thoughts and feelings, Miles realized what he'd almost done and why Nim had shocked him to keep it from happening.

"Myip?"

"I understand Nim; I'm sorry." Holding Caitlin off the floor with one arm, he reached out with the other in supplication.

The apology was accepted with a purr but before Nim could become engrossed in Mile's apologetic scratching, the figure he was watching over stirred groggily.

"M-Miles?"

"Caitlin! Oh God, I'm sorry. I thought you were one of the hunters!" Nim gave an annoyed yap when the hand receded but moved to Miles' side just the same.

"That was you?" her voice was becoming clearer.

"…I'm SO sorry…"

"It's…okay." She pushed herself into a sitting position with a wince, still not quite connecting what had happened.

"Whoa…" she put a hand to her forehead. "My head feels all…whoa."

"Are you alright?"

"I think so. Is that Nim?"

_I clearly remember him saying he didn't know where Nim was. How'd he get here? Is there another person helping him out? _For some reason, the thought made her burn with jealousy, clearing the rest of the blurriness from her recuperating mind. _Why aren't I burned? The last time he did that was with that bully at his school and HE'S still in the hospital._

"Oh yeah, he showed up about a half hour ago. Are you okay?"

"I think so…how'd you do that? I thought shocking someone meant you burned their skin as well."

"Actually, I don't know."

"Myap!"

His vaguely luminous eyes blinked at Nim, making Caitlin suddenly conscious of just how dark it actually was. Neither of them were reacting but she could barely see two feet in front of her face.

"Really?"

She arched an eyebrow at Miles' response to Nim's chirp.

"You can understand him?"

"Sorta. He said I didn't want to seriously hurt anyone coming through the door; I just wanted to escape; so the charge altered itself."

"He said all that with 'myap'." She wasn't quite able to erase the disbelief from her tone.

"Well…not said literally, just…implied…kinda."

"That makes no sense whatsoever."

"Sorry. It's rally hard to explain. It's like-" he stopped, a puzzled frown crossing his face.

"Like what?"

"Shhh…I thought I hear something."

_Oh no…_

"People?"

Nim hissed.

"You two need to go." Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"And leave you here alone? Yeah right!"

"Miles, they don't care about me. It's you –BOTH of you- that they're after."

"But-"

"No, no buts. Just go. The reason I came here in the first place was to warn you there's a company after you now, not just townspeople."

"A company?"

"Iderdex, or so the big black cars claimed. They tried to follow me earlier; they might have this time too."

"A-alright. We'll go. Come on Nim."

"You'll let me know where you are?"

"Yeah. Somehow."

Caitlin followed them to the door and watched as the smaller form disappeared into the deeper blackness of the water with barely a ripple. After a slight hesitation, Nim was followed by Miles' larger silhouette.

"I guess I was wrong about being followed but that's okay. They'll be safer on the open water."

Minutes later, she deserted the boathouse as well.

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Davis Lee stood in the shadows of the dilapidated structure, mentally cursing his decision not to bring backup. The plan had been to trail the girl and confront her for information when she stopped, hopefully with a suitably intimidating backdrop. Not once had he considered she'd actually be able to lead him to the missing halfbreed.

He'd been forced to watch the hybrid escape, powerless to stop it unless he wanted to end up like the kid in the hospital.

Kesler, or whatever/whoever, he really was, had been working to create a viable human/subject hybrid since the creation of the project. Despite his reservations on the man's character, Lee was exceptionally loyal and even after Ms. Daughtery's revelation would do anything to help him accomplish his goals. Old habits die hard, as they say.

Flipping open his cell phone, he contacted one of the containment trucks under his command.

"The girl on the orange Vespa. She's headed your way; should arrive in ten minutes."

He closed the phone without waiting for a response.

Maybe this night wouldn't be a total loss after all.

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TBC?

Review!

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Let me know what you think!

Oh, and how many of you found my _Save Surface_ 'story'? Did you guys sign the petitions?

For a recap on what just happened in the previous episode (not chapter, before that, the tv episode where Miles attacked Greg): Miles woke up on the beach after leading the creatures away and exhibited some 'creature' aspects. After talking to Caitlin, he went home to see his parents who have finally noticed something is up with him (their observation skills are sorely lacking) and then went to school where he got in a fight with Savannah's former boyfriend. During the fight, he uses personally generated electricity to knock Greg out and hurts him badly which results in the police showing up at his house which further results in him getting pulled out of his house by an angry mob led by Greg's dad. Now, in the series, that is when the radio goes off with the tsunami warning and everyone forgets about Miles in favor of saving their own hides. In my fan fiction, the tsunami is delayed (for as of yet unknown reasons) and the story goes on from there.

Now, while this is all happening with Miles and co. Rich and Laura are interrogating Lee about his boss and the film reel they found. They decide he must be a clone and leave him tied up in a hotel room after accidentally revealing their location and learning of a facility called 'Iderdex' in Wilmington that is somehow tied in with everything. After leaving the hotel, the two part ways. Rich goes to Wilmington and breaks into Iderdex but doesn't count on security and is captured after managing to make a quick call to Laura about his discoveries. Laura goes to see her son but her ex husband calls Lee and his pals in the black cars to come and get her. Lee asks her some questions, listens to her conversation with Rich, and then lets her go without hurting her. She takes off to go find Rich.

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